Key Lime Cheesecake, The Ideal Gift for Any Occasion

It is unusual to see cheesecakes made into gifts but for those who know, they will tell you that cheesecakes make a 'perfect gift'. The first guideline that you have to follow in order to acquire the 'perfect gift' is that gifts must be chosen according to a person's tastes and desire. Then, when you are not well acquainted with the person you're giving your gift to, you should choose a general-type of gift that will not offend or upset the person. Make sure the gift fits and that if the person does not like the gift, it should be able to be passed on to someone else.

It is not often you see a cheesecake made into gifts but those who know will tell you that it makes a perfect one. Cheesecake is loved by almost everyone and why wouldn't it not make an ideal gift? Aren't gifts are supposed to be well liked and enjoyed together. Thanks to the development in today's modern culinary the sky is the limit when selecting ingredients for a cheesecake even if you want to make it a sugar free cheesecake. With this, no matter if the recipient is on low fat, no fat, no sugar or no carbohydrate diet, you can make a cheesecake to suit the diet.

The look on the recipient's face upon receiving the freshly made cheesecake will make you happy. To make it a great gift, why not personalized the cake with a few different toppings such as fruit toppings or sweet toppings. There are so many versions of cheesecakes available today. Just take your pick from well known original New York cheesecake, Japanese cheesecake or Key Lime cheesecake.

Those who have some time to spare can try making their own cheesecake for a gift. Included here is the award winning recipe of Key lime cheesecake, a special cheesecake which is graham-cracker and sour-cream cheesecake with creamy filling topped with thick layer of sour cream and tart Key Lime custard. The recipe maybe seems a bit complicated but the end result will worth the effort.

The recipe below makes 10-12 servings. Start by assembling the compulsory ingredients for the different parts of the cake.

Lime custard

6 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice or regular lime juice

1 teaspoon grated Key lime peel or regular lime peel

Crust

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 whole graham crackers)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice or regular lime juice

1 tablespoon grated Key lime peel or regular lime peel

1 16-ounce container sour cream

Thin lime slices

After gathering all the necessary ingredients, you can start preparing each part of the cake. Just follow the following instructions.

For lime custard:

Combine all ingredients and beat them together in a heavy small saucepan over medium setting on the stove until the custard starts to thicken. Leave it to boil for 30 seconds. This may take about 8 minutes. Leave it to cool to room temperature and occasionally stir the mixture as it thickens.

For crust:

Warm up the oven to 350°F. Use 3 layers of foil to wrap around outside of 8- to 8 1/2-inch-diameter cake pan with 3-inch-high sides. Butter the pan using pure butter. Stir in the first 3 ingredients to blend in medium bowl. Mix in butter until moistened. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of prepared pan. Bake the ingredients just long enough for them to set, this takes about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling:

Simply blend together the cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, eggs, lime juice, and lime peel a food processor until smooth.

Spoon the custard into crust; smooth out the top. Then carefully spoon filling over. Set the cheesecake in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to baking pan to come 1 inch up sides of cheesecake pan. Bake until almost set but not puffed and center moves slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes.

In the mean time, stir sour cream and the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to blend.

For the final few touches, carefully spoon sour cream mixture over hot cheesecake and gently smooth the top. It should be baked until the topping sets, which is in about 10 minutes. Cool it down for another 10 minutes. Using a knife, poke around sides of pan to loosen the cake. The cheesecake must be cooled down completely by refrigerating it overnight and remember to keep it covered. The cheesecake can be made 2 days earlier but keep in the refrigerator. Take the cheesecake out of the pan's sides a transfer it to a platter. Garnish the cake with lime slices and serve.

The author actually gets paid to taste new cheesecake recipes, including Key Lime cheesecake or New York style cheesecake. Greg Scott writes for EliteCheesecakes.com, where you can send a cheesecake gift to a loved one (or to yourself).